How's my driving?

[mudman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok5m7hbwn_g

thanks for any tips

Mud

[PaulS]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok5m7hbwn_g

thanks for any tips

Mud

Overall, you are doing just fine. If self-taught, remarkably well. The suggestion I would make would be to either keep the hands level throughout the stroke or to pull in on a slightly higher plane and recover on a slightly lower plane. Currently you are pulling in plenty high, but then lift the hands right at the finish and they begin the recovery higher than they were on the drive. It's not a huge problem, unless you plan on getting in a boat and then it will cause the release to be very tough.

The Model A chain guide is very narrow compared with the newer models and this could be part of what is causing the anomaly. On the recovery the chain will ride as close as possible to the bottom of the guide without touching, and then stay about the mid point all through the drive. If it hits right at the release that's no big deal, though keep the relase smooth to minimize the bounce of the chain.

[JoshK]

technique looks well, although it looks like you're cramped up in that corner a little bit.

[mudman]

technique looks well, although it looks like you're cramped up in that corner a little bit.

spousal strategy - I used to be stuck in a storage room, slowly but surely I'm moving into the dining room

thanks

[citizencollett]

The basic mechanics of it look just fine but I have a couple of tips that might help you find a little extra juice. Your leg drive is the core of your stroke which you seem to be executing just fine. Your main problem is your upper body movement (or lack of). If you watch the video you will notice that your knees start to rise just as your hands cross over them. Try reaching out a little further and pivot from your hips. You should be able to get close to half way down your shins before your legs rise. This will give you a few extra inches of reach. The next part is on the back end of the drive sequence. Use that body angle you just go to keep the driving motion all the way through with your back (i.e. more lay back). This entire sequence takes a while to get down but once you're doing it properly it should feel like you are whipping your back and then arms through the leg drive (after you have almost completely finished the leg drive that is). A good drill to practice this is what we do at my boathouse call simply enough "the drive sequence"

1. Arms only
2. Arms body
3. Body only (no arms)
4. Full slide and body only (no arms)
5. Full slide only (no body or arms)
6. Full slide and body only (no arms)
7. Full slide body and squeeze (entire stroke)

This seperates each of the 3 core parts of your drive sequence so you can focus on being effective during all 3.

This last little thing is that if you watch your shoulder at the instant right before you catch they pivot forward. By getting your body angle quicker (not rushing the slide!) you eliminate that extra reach at the end because you're already as far out as you can go. This doesn't really have that much effect on an erg but in a boat it can cause all sorts of problems.